Display box



P. P. SMITH DISPLAY BOX Feb. 15, 1944.

Filed April 5. 1942 INVENTOR. Pe f e r P Smi I h Patented Feb. 15, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DISPLAY 'BOX Peter P. Smith, Teaneck, N. J.

Application April 3, 1942, Serial No. 437,497 2 Claims. (01. 62-102) My invention relates to improvements in display boxes, and more specifically to display boxes for cold beverages or food; and the objects of my improvement are, first, to provide a continuous cooling of the displayed articles; and second, to afford facilities to make the displayed articles appear as if they were in a snow flurry, thus producing a pleasing impression of coolness on the onlooker and tending to stimulate a desire to partake of the articles so displayed.-

Other important objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of this specification and in which Figure 1 is a vertical section of the entire device on the line II of Fig. 3; Fig. 2, a partial side elevation; and Fig. 3, a horizontal section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Similar numerals refer to throughout the several views.

In the instance shown, the displayed articles are beverages in bottles I, displayed in a receptacle which has transparent walls 2, 3 and 4, and transparent top covers and (I, so that the bottles can be seen from three sides as well as from above. A door I is attached to the back of the box to permit filling and replacing.

In the space between the walls 2 and 3 are flakes 8 of light, white material, for instance of paper. A strainer 9 is on the top and a strainer III on the bottom of the walls 2 and 3 to prevent the flakes 8 from escaping when air is blown through the space between the walls 2 and 3, as referred to hereinafter. A plurality of tubes II (four in the present instance) terminate below the strainer ID to convey cold air into the space between the walls 2 and 3. The tubes II lead to a device adapted to create an alternating flow of air.

I prefer to carry out this feature of my invention in the following manner: In a casing I2 (Figs. 1 and 3), which is connected to a refrigcrating chamber I5 by inlet tubes l4, turns a shaft I5 carrying a fan II. A disk I8 secured to shaft I6 carries a pin I9 which engages a pinion 25. A rotating shutter 2I has apertures 22 adapted to open and to close alternately the terminals of the tubes II when the shutter 2| rotates. This shutter 2I is provided with internal teeth 23 for receiving those of the pinion 22. The shaft It may be driven by a belt passing round the pulley 29 or by other suitable means. The fan I1, when revolving, sucks cold similar parts air from the refrigerating chamber I5 and presses the air toward the shutter 2|, which by means of the pin I9, the pinion 20, and the internal teeth 23 is turned at a lower speed than the shaft I6, whereby it alternately opens and closes the tubes II. In Figs. 1 and 3 the shutter 2! is shown in a position where one of the tubes II is closed while the other is open so that air can flow through the open tube II, the strainer ID, the space between the walls 2 and 3, the strainer 9, into the space where the bottles are kept, and from there through the pipes 24 back to the refrigerating chamber I5. While air is blown through the space between the walls 2 and 3, the flakes 8 are blown upward toward the strainer 9, and as soon as the blowing of air. is interrupted by the shutter 2!, the flakes 8 fall down. This continuous movement of the snow-' like flakes 8 creates the appearance of an imitation snow flurry.

The bottles I are preferably placed on a wire spacer rack 25, to provide sufficient space between the bottles to insure circulation of air.

The device can also be constructed without the walls 4 and. without the topplate 6; however, I prefer to furnish my device with the walls 4 and the top plate 6 to provide a cold insulating area between the walls 3 and 4 and the plates 5 and 6.

While in the instance shown the refrigerating chamber I5 is directly below the display box, it will be obvious that the tubes I4 and 24 can be connected to a refrigerating chamber which is situated at some other, more or less distant place. In this case, my display box can be placed, for instance, on a counter and can be connected by tubes or hoses to a refrigerating chamber, which is used for other purposes, or to an ice cellar.

The speed of the electromotor (not shown) which drives the shaft l8 can be controlled by hand or automatically by any thermostatically controlled mechanism as indicated in Fig. 1 at 21. Such a mechanism can be adapted to cause the fan II to revolve at a high speed until the temperature in the display box reaches a low point, say 40 to 45 degrees, and then to slow down the speed so that it is just sufficient to maintain an imitation snow flurry.

The shaft Hi can also be driven by the same motor which drives the refrigeration machinery (not shown). However, in this case, the snow flurry would discontinue when a thermostat, controlling the refrigeration machinery, switches off this machinery. Therefore, I prefer to have the shaft I6 driven separately and to attach two thermostats, namely one 21 for the motor driving the shaft l6 and a second thermostat 28 for the refrigeration machinery.

Further modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art and it is desired, therefore, that my invention be limited only by the prior art and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent in the United States is:

1. In a display box, the combination of transparent inner walls defining a chamber for holding articles to be displayed; with transparent outer walls in spaced relation to said inner walls; flakes between said outer and inner walls strainers cooperating with said walls to prevent said flakes from leaving the space between said walls; means to cause circulation of cold air from a refrigerating chamber through the space between the outer and the inner transparent walls, to the space surrounded by said inner transparent walls, and back to the refrigerating chamber; said means including an air moving device, a plurality of air passages connecting the space between said outer and inner transparent Walls with said device, and a rotatable shutter having an opening therein and movable to cause each passage in its turn to be opened while certain of the passages are closed; all substantially as set forth.

2. In a display box having multiple paned transparent Walls arranged in horizontal planes with flakes in the space between panels, the combination of strainers arranged at the upper and lower edges of the panels and adapted to permit the passing of air therethrough but to keep said flakes in the spaces between panels, with a plu- 

